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Albuquerque, N.M. — The New Mexico State women’s basketball team dropped its lone meeting with in-state rival New Mexico 65-55 on Saturday, Dec. 7. The Aggies drop to 3-6 on the season, while the Lobos move to 4-4.

NM State was led by sophomore Sasha Weber with 11 points and junior transfer September Offutt was just shy of her first career double-double when she scored 10 points and ended the game with nine rebounds. The Aggies shot 33 percent as a team after going 20-60 from field goal range.

The Aggies struggled from 50 percent from the free throw line and just 21 percent from beyond the arc. The team combined for 34 rebounds and New Mexico managed 43. NM State won the turnover margin 11-16 and scored 10 points off the bench.

The Aggies struggled offensively in the first half with the Lobos scoring the first seven points. The Aggies rallied back and get within one off a free throw by freshman Brianna Freeman and a pair of three’s by the freshman and sophomore Abby Scott.

The Lobos pulled away with a 13-2 run for a 20-8 lead, but Offutt hit a three to get the Aggies back on track. NM State stayed within 10 of the Lobos until a jumper by Weber put NM State’s deficit to just seven points.

New Mexico maintained the lead throughout the half, but the Aggies got within four in the final three minutes when a couple of good shots by freshman Moriah Mack and a layup by fellow freshman Vanessa Garner set the score at 31-27 with just 12 seconds left. The Lobos took the final shot of the period for a 34-27 lead at the intermission.

Offutt led the Aggies in the first half with seven points and Freeman had six. No player had more than two rebounds and the team combined for just 11 to the Lobos 17. The team still managed to shoot 44.4 percent.

Mack sank the first point of the second half with a pass from Weber and the teams traded baskets for the next several minutes. The Aggies started the half within five of the Lobos, but could not hold on.

The Aggies stayed within 10 points of the Lobos until the 11-minute mark when New Mexico ran away for nine straight points and a 17-point lead – the largest of the game.

Trailing 54-37, three straight free throws by Freeman and two three-pointers by Scott helped the Aggies slash the lead in half with 7:13 on the clock.

The Lobos took the next five points off a couple of fouls by the Aggies, but Offutt broke up the run with a layup to make the score 60-50 in the final five minutes.

New Mexico kept the lead from the Aggies in the final two minutes with each team scoring five to end the game with a 65-55 loss for the Aggies.

NM State now takes a week off before heading to California to face UC Irvine at 8 p.m. on Dec. 18.